Amakipkip is a local streetwear brand that specializes in urban and hip hop fashion. The brand recently faced a social media backlash for designing and selling a tribute T-shirt for the late rapper AKA without the consent of his family. AKA was a South African hip hop artist who was killed in a shooting incident in June 2022.
The brand posted a picture of the T-shirt on X, formerly Twitter, on Tuesday. The T-shirt had AKA’s face on the front and the words “Justice for AKA” on the back. The brand claimed that they wanted to honor AKA’s legacy and seek justice for his death.
However, many fans of AKA, who are known as The Megacy, were outraged by the brand’s move. They accused the brand of exploiting AKA’s name and image for profit and disrespecting his family. They also pointed out that the brand did not have the permission or endorsement of the Forbes family, who are AKA’s relatives.
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The brand issued an apology on their social media platforms on Wednesday. They said that they regretted their decision and that they did not intend to cause any offence or hurt. They said that they underestimated the importance of obtaining consent from the entire Forbes family and that they recognized their action did not align with the reverence and respect AKA’s memory deserves. They said that they would discontinue the AKA tribute T-shirt and that they apologized to the Forbes family, The Megacy, and the public.
Forbes family’s partnership with Cultish
The Forbes family, who are AKA’s relatives, already had an existing partnership with another streetwear brand called Cultish. Cultish is a brand that collaborated with AKA in 2021 to create a clothing line inspired by his music and style. The brand designed a limited edition tribute garment for AKA after his death.
Tony Forbes, who is AKA’s father, shared a post on his Instagram account explaining the partnership with Cultish. He said that they decided to release a limited edition tribute garment to honor AKA’s remarkable life and expressive connection with Cultish. He said that the garment embodied the essence of their collaboration and served as a celebration of AKA’s artistic journey. He also said that it paid homage to AKA’s unique style, his indomitable spirit, and the profound impact he made on all of us.
SavannaNews, an online entertainment news platform, tried to contact Tony Forbes for his comment on the Amakipkip situation, but he was unavailable at the time of publication. The article will be updated when new information is available.